Video: Samsung Safety Truck Aims to Reduce Road Accidents

Anyone who has ever been stuck behind a truck on the road knows how frustrating and potentially hazardous it can be – particularly when it comes to overtaking.

But Samsung may have come up with a solution to visibility issues with a prototype “safety truck” that lets drivers see what’s in front of it. The truck incorporates a wireless camera at the front, and four large screens at the back, which display real-time footage of the road ahead so that drivers know what is in front of the truck and whether or not it is safe to overtake it.

“The monitors give drivers behind the truck a view of what is going on ahead, even in the dark of night,” Samsung explains in a blog post about the truck.

The electronics company has tested its prototype and produced a video of the Safety Truck in action in Argentina, which has a high rate of on-road accidents linked to overtaking.

The video explains that the number of single-lane roads in Argentina increases the risk of overtaking, and cites a statistic that “almost one person dies in a traffic accident every hour”, and that most are from attempts to overtake other vehicles.

Samsung says the Safety Truck helps drivers see when it is safe to overtake and is an idea that “instead of changing peoples lives, saves them”.

“Another advantage of the Safety Truck is that it may reduce the risk of accidents caused by sudden braking or animals crossing the road,” it adds.

While the Safety Truck prototype is now off the roads, Samsung says it is applying for regulatory approval to deploy this technology around the world, saying that its tests “confirm that the technology works and that this idea can definitely save the lives of many people.”

The Safety Truck video was posted to YouTube in June 2015 and received a lot of attention from media publications and social media users. It was produced by Leo Burnett Argentina and won two awards at the prestigious Cannes Lions Direct, Mobile, Press and Promo & Activation Awards in 2015.